Spanish transport minister Oscar Puente steps down after deadly train crash

Spain’s Transport Minister, Oscar Puente, has resigned less than a week after a train collision that killed 69 people, Vangauard reports.

Puente also withdrew from the upcoming general election.

“A transport minister in a country like Spain cannot continue in office with two accidents of this severity in less than a year,” Puente said.

He was referring to the latest crash and a high-speed derailment in Andalusia in January, which claimed 46 lives.

Last Wednesday’s crash happened when a high-speed train operated by state-owned Renfe slammed into a stationary Iryo train on the Madrid-Seville line in Castilla-La Mancha.

Reports said controllers in Madrid allowed the Renfe train to continue despite a signal failure that had halted traffic on the route.

The government is considering an artificial intelligence system to reduce human error. Puente said this would make Spain the first country to adopt such a safety mechanism.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced a 30-million-euro compensation package for victims and their families.